Hello and welcome.
My name is Renee Angle.
I'm the program coordinator here at the Poetry Center.
I'm standing in tonight for Gail Browne, our executive director.
Before we began, we have a couple of announcements.
Please join us tomorrow at 3:30 for the next Word in Poetry,
a panel discussion on new trends and contemporary poetry
featuring Monica de la Torre, Bhanu Kapil, and Ben Lerner.
That will take place at the Poetry Center.
We'll be announcing our spring series in mid-December.
Please check our website for those details.
And I'd like to thank our sponsors for the reading
series, the National Endowment for the Arts
and the friends of the Poetry Center.
And speaking of the friends of the Poetry Center,
you too can be friend us if you haven't already.
What better way to stimulate Tucson's economy
than to support programs like tonight's reading.
You may already be aware of the economic impact
nonprofit and arts organizations have on our country's economy.
It is significant.
Your contributions do make a difference, especially
in these harsh times.
If you have already made a contribution, we thank you.
And you can find a brochure, it's blue,
on the table in the entrance to the theater when you come in
if you'd like to make a donation.
Tonight's reading, titled The Next Word In Poetry,
is a special component of our reading series.
We invite three emerging writers whose work
we find particularly intriguing to read
and be in discussion with us on new trends
and contemporary poetry.
Tonight, these poets are Monica de la Torre, Bhanu Kapil,
and Ben Lerner.
They will be introduced by graduate students
in the creative writing department, Meagan Lehr, Drew
Krewer and Jamison Crabtree.
We're going to begin tonight with Monica de la Torre,
and she will be introduced by Meagan Lehr.
[APPLAUSE]